Mons Graupius, AD 83: Rome's battle at the edge of the world

Osprey Campaign #224

by Duncan B. Campbell, Seán Ó’Brógáin (Illustrator)

The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43 on the orders of the emperor Claudius, and throughout the remaining ten years of his reign, Roman rule was gradually imposed on the peoples of southern England. By the time Nero came to the throne in AD 54, the province of Britannia extended up to the Severn estuary in the west and the Humber in the east, having absorbed the territories of half a dozen tribes. All this time, the tribes of modern-day Wales remained defiant, but the Brigantes, who occupied a huge area in northern England, had entered into treaty relations with Rome, and no real contact had been made with the tribes further north.

The reign of Nero ended in civil war across the empire. In AD 70, a new emperor, Vespasian, inaugurated an expansionist policy in Britannia, with campaigning in the territory of Wales and northern England. By AD 77, Roman armies stood on the threshold of present-day Scotland.

This title covers the seven years of campaigning in Wales, northern England and Scotland that followed, culminating in the decisive battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83 that saw the devastation of the Caledonian confederation under the legendary Calgacus at the hands of the Roman forces of the provincial governor, Gnaeus Julius Agricola. The battle saw the loss of 10,000 Caledonians, while only 360 Romans were killed. The victory at Mons Graupius saw the whole of the island of Britannia lying pacified, and this was to prove the high-water mark of the Roman Empire in the north. Following unrest elsewhere in the empire, the north of Scotland was abandoned and Roman power in Britain now entered a phase of retreat and retrenchment. Never again would Roman arms stand on the edge of the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Ancient, Roman History, Military Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2006

About the author

Dr Duncan B Campbell is a specialist in Greek and Roman military history. He first became fascinated by Roman archaeology after a childhood visit to Hadrian's Wall. He published his first academic paper in 1984, as an undergraduate at Glasgow University (Scotland), and produced a complete re-assessment of Roman siegecraft for his PhD.
He has made some of his research accessible to a wider readership through Osprey's New Vanguard, Elite, and Fortress series, and he is a regular contributor to *Ancient Warfare* magazine. Besides writing occasional academic articles, he is a frequent reviewer for *Bryn Mawr Classical Review*.
In his latest book, *The Fate of the Ninth*, he discusses the curious disappearance of Rome's Ninth Legion.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the little data we have, I am impressed at how well this volume attempts to recreate a battle. This is the saga of Roman forces under Agricola defeating Scottish forces in 83 AD. Given the sketchy information available, I am impressed with the job that the author does in laying out ther background to this battle as well as the struggle itself. Many useful maps.

A good read. . . .

[Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Osprey book on the battle at the end of the world, done in typical Osprey fashion.

Boy, the Romans were strangers in a strange land for this battle. The book, by Duncan Campbell, a veteran writer for Osprey, is pure Osprey at its best--terse text, useful maps, and photos of all sorts of ephemera. Really great stuff.

[Private Account · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six-year-old enjoyed the chapter about the battle, the chapters leading up to the battle not so much. We are reading Agricola now since this entire book seems to be based on Agricola (by Tacitus).

[Dei Mur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erioed wedi clywed am y frwydr hon ac syndod oedd deallt fod tystiolaeth yn bodoli amdani. Wedi rhoi blas imi hel mwy o'r casgliad ac mynd ar ol gweithiau'r haneswyr Rhufeinig.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of many books I’ve recently been reading on Roman Scotland. Although I learned very little new in it, it was easy to cover quickly and is an appropriate length for the 'Campaigns' series that it's intended for. The graphic material is well presented and is fairly varied- using archaeology where appropriate along with evidence from manuscript copies of the writing of Tacitus. Sean O Brogan’s illustrations are a wonderful addition. Duncan Campbell, I believe, would be fairly convincing to a new reader of the subject but less so for those who already have some background of the northern campaigns of General Agricola. Where there is some conjecture amongst experts over the site of Mons Graupius (if indeed a battle did take place), Duncan Campbell is quite categorical about the site being Bennachie. He is also fairly categorical over the dates of the Agricolan campaigns acknowledging that he is following the suppositions laid down by K. St. Joseph which many now believe may not match up with recent archaeological evidence. Some amateurs, like I am, when new to the study, can easily be confused over such details from book to book. I do, however, believe that if a battle, Mons Graupius, did occur then Bennachie is a very strong contender. Until someone can give me more evidence for why the Durno marching camp has such large proportions, then it seems to me that Durno and Bennachie provide a suitable gathering place not only for the northern Celtic/ Briton tribes but also for the Roman armies, including those from fleet support. Until more archaeological confirmation is available, the subject of Mons Graupius will remain very conjectural.

[Bruinrefugee · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a vast empire with a history covering centuries, it's amazing what I don't know about the Romans. This is a good book for filling in an interesting part of that blank space, esp. since it involves British history as well. Ancient history is always challenging, but this entry in Osprey's Campaign series does a good job relating what is known and what is not, while explaining its choices in relating the history. A good, very readable tale.